Posts in National
Citizen Schools Receives Eight Million Dollar Transformative Gift from MacKenzie Scott.

It is with profound gratitude that Citizen Schools announces one of the largest unrestricted gifts in its history, an investment of eight million dollars from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott. This transformative gift opens up tremendous opportunities for expanding our impact and deepening our commitment to students, educators and communities during a critical moment in public education and in our organization’s evolution.

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Introducing our new National Board Chair: Michael Keating

We are incredibly fortunate to have Michael Keating join us at the start of this fiscal year as the new Chair of Citizen Schools’ National Board of Directors. Mike is currently a Partner at Foley Hoag and former Board Chair of The Boston Foundation. "A lawyer and lifelong advocate for expanded opportunity, Mike Keating is one of Boston and the nation's great civic leaders and we at Citizen Schools are excited to welcome him as the next chair of our Board of Directors," said Eric Schwarz, Co-Founder of Citizen Schools and outgoing Chair of the Board.

We interviewed Mike recently and discussed what inspired him to serve his community and to his new role with Citizen Schools.

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Ways to engage students in career exploration

The American Student Assistance (ASA) meeting on October 22nd at the Boston Chamber of Commerce brought together educators, nonprofits and the US Bureau of Labor Statistics to drive home the need to engage students early in career exploration and pathways. We also need to evolve collective assumptions that success for students means a four-year college degree. And to engage and motivate students, we should share all the options of technical education, associate’s degrees, certificates, and apprenticeships. All of this work begins early as students disengage starting in ninth grade.

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Two new leaders appointed to Citizen Schools National Board

This fall, Danielle Wang, Vice President of Bain Capital and Kristy Cunningham, Chief Marketing Officer of Bright Horizons Family Solutions joined our National Board. Danielle and Kristy are joining a vibrant, diverse group of Citizen Schools advisers and champions. When selecting board members, our Governance Committee looks for a diversity of experience in professional background with a deep belief in our mission.

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Building bridges and community at Summer Institute

As we look back on a summer well spent, one of our highlights across our regions is always Summer Institute, during which our incoming Teaching Fellows (TFs) receive training, get to know Citizen Schools and meet other TFs. Our amazing regional staff in Massachusetts, California and New York welcomed each of their new TF cohorts and helped them get ready for the school year ahead.

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NationalAnna Yu
295 Organizations and Partners Step Up to Support Maker Centered Learning through Citizen Schools’ Make For All Initiative

On June 14th, the Make For All initiative led by Citizen Schools announced more than 50 commitments- new partnerships, initiatives and programs in support of maker-centered learning. These commitments will reach more than 768,000 students over the next three years and span across 149 communities. Organizations and partners making commitments include K-12 schools, community colleges, universities, companies, makerspaces, museums, libraries, non-profit organizations and cities. 

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Why Maker Economies Need Local Support

On Friday, June 14th the National League of Cities, Make For All and Nation of Makers co-hosted a “Makers Mayor Collaboratory” in Chattanooga, Tennessee, coinciding with NOMCON, the national conference of maker community leaders. The Collaboratory brought together both mayors and maker organizations to identify areas where local elected officials and makers could work together. Mayors came from around the country, including cities and towns like Rexburg, IdahoSalisbury, MarylandWilkinsburg, Pennsylvania; and of course a Tennessee contingent of Knoxville, Tennessee and Chattanooga, Tennessee.

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Citizen Schools hires Kyle Conley as Vice President, Impact

Kyle Conley joins Citizen Schools as Vice President, Impact on April 23, 2019. In her role, she will focus on driving impact in direct service with Expanded Learning Time and with Catalyst, Citizen Schools’ new teacher support initiative. Kyle will also oversee a national center of excellence around the core input and support for Citizen Schools program models, including talent, curriculum, training and Research and Evaluation. She joins a dynamic and committed team of leaders at both the regional and national level.

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Celebrating our members for AmeriCorps Week

AmeriCorps Week is a time to salute our AmeriCorps members and alumni for their service!

It is a time to say ‘Thank You’  to our AmeriCorps community partners, and communicate AmeriCorps’ impact on communities and on the lives of those we serve. Each year during AmeriCorps Week, Citizen Schools and the Corporation for National and Community Service recognizes the commitment of AmeriCorps members and alumni by highlighting the remarkable impact AmeriCorps makes across our nation, every day.

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How Citizen Schools Works to Close the Opportunity Gap

While talent is everywhere, the opportunity to develop the skills, mindsets, and networks needed for success is not. By the time they reach middle school, it has been shown that middle school students from middle-class families have spent 6,000 more hours learning than kids born into poverty. That’s where nonprofit organizations such as Citizen Schools come in, helping young students get the tools and networks that they need to later thrive as adults in a fast-moving economy.

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Director of Instructional Design, Lauren tell us, the Joy in the Work is in the Connections you Make

Here at Citizen Schools, the work that we do everyday would not be possible without our amazing employees. All who go above and beyond their everyday call of duty to ensure that our young people, schools and communities get the best that they deserve. Each month, we are going to spotlight one amazing Citizen Schools employee. Here is our first one, Lauren Chamberlain

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22 Members of the City Network Gather at US2020 Fall Convening

This week, US2020 hosted their tenth bi-annual City Network Convening in Downey, CA, at the Columbia Memorial Space Center. This convening marked the first time representatives from all 22 communities were together since the STEM Coalition Challenge winners and finalists were announced earlier this year.

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Business Leaders Emphasize Importance Of Social And Emotional Skills In The Workplace

There is now widespread consensus that young people need much more than proficiency in traditional academic subjects in order to be ready for college, the workplace, and civic life. A richer and deeper definition of readiness includes intra-and inter-personal skills and dispositions such as self-efficacy and growth mindset.

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Catalyst Year 1 Report

In our year one report on our teacher support model, Catalyst, we share lessons learned from our initial design year and the ways those lessons informed our year two approach.  This approach includes a new volunteer experience design team, comprising a group of volunteers from Citizen Schools National Leadership Partner, Dell.

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Empowering More Students to Be Makers is an Investment in Our Future

Last year, US2020 launched the STEM Coalition Challenge, with support from Schmidt Futures and the Arconic Foundation. The Challenge was a competition for communities across the country to develop cross-sector partnerships to bring quality hands-on maker-centered learning to underrepresented students at scale through STEM mentorship. More than 90 communities participated, signalling a significant need and demand for the tools, resources, programs and support that will help schools, libraries, museums and other youth-serving organizations engage students in maker centered learning with mentors.

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